Exodus 14
King James Version
14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.
Exodus 14
New King James Version
The Red Sea Crossing
14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, (A)that they turn and camp before (B)Pi Hahiroth, between (C)Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, (D)‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then (E)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I (F)will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, (G)that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and (H)the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he [a]made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took (I)six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord (J)hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and (K)the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the (L)Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel (M)cried out to the Lord. 11 (N)Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 (O)Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
13 And Moses said to the people, (P)“Do not be afraid. (Q)Stand still, and see the (R)salvation[b] of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall (S)see again no more forever. 14 (T)The Lord will fight for you, and you shall (U)hold[c] your peace.”
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But (V)lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will (W)harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will (X)gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 And the Angel of God, (Y)who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and (Z)made the sea into dry land, and the waters were (AA)divided. 22 So (AB)the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were (AC)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 Now it came to pass, in the morning (AD)watch, that (AE)the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He [d]troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He [e]took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord (AF)fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea (AG)returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord (AH)overthrew[f] the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then (AI)the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But (AJ)the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 So the Lord (AK)saved[g] Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel (AL)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great [h]work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and (AM)believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:6 harnessed
- Exodus 14:13 deliverance
- Exodus 14:14 Lit. be quiet
- Exodus 14:24 confused
- Exodus 14:25 Sam., LXX, Syr. bound
- Exodus 14:27 Lit. shook off
- Exodus 14:30 delivered
- Exodus 14:31 Lit. hand with which the Lord worked
Exodus 14
Wycliffe Bible
14 Forsooth the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel; turn they again, and set they tents even against Pihahiroth, which is betwixt Migdol and the sea, against Baalzephon; and in the sight thereof ye shall set tents on the sea. (Speak thou to the Israelites; tell them to turn back, and pitch their tents before Pihahiroth, which is between Migdol and the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, east of Baalzephon; yea, in the sight of it, ye shall pitch your tents by the sea.)
3 And Pharaoh shall say on the sons of Israel, They be made strait in the land, the desert hath closed them together. (And Pharaoh shall say of the Israelites, The land is too narrow there for all of them, yea, the wilderness hath enclosed them.)
4 And I shall make hard his heart, and he shall pursue you, and I shall be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord; and they did so.
5 And it was told to the king of the Egyptians, that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed on the people, and they said, What would we do, that we let go Israel, that it should not serve us? (And it was told to the king of the Egyptians, that the people had fled; and Pharaoh’s heart, and the hearts of his servants, were turned against the people, and they said, What have we done? we have let Israel go, and now there is no one here to serve us!)
6 Therefore Pharaoh joined (up) the chariot, and took with him all his people; (And so Pharaoh joined up his chariot, and took all his people with him;)
7 and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and whatever thing of chariots was in Egypt, and [the] dukes of all the host. (and he took six hundred of the choicest chariots, and whatever other chariots were in Egypt, and all the leaders of his army.)
8 And the Lord made hard the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the sons of Israel; and they were gone out in an high hand. (And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites; and they went forth with great defiance.)
9 And when the Egyptians pursued the steps of the sons of Israel before-going, they found them in tents on the sea; (and) all the chivalry, and [the] chariots of Pharaoh, and all the host were in Pihahiroth, against Baalzephon. (And the Egyptians, yea, all the cavalry, and the chariots, and all of Pharaoh’s army, pursued the steps of the Israelites who had gone forth before them; and they found them in their tents by the Red Sea, by Pihahiroth, and east of Baalzephon.)
10 And when Pharaoh had nighed, the sons of Israel raised [up] their eyes, and they saw the Egyptians behind them, and they dreaded greatly (and they greatly feared); and they cried to the Lord,
11 and said to Moses, In hap sepulchres were not in Egypt, therefore thou hast taken us away, that we shall die in wilderness? what wouldest thou do this, that thou leddest us out of Egypt? (and they said to Moses, Perhaps there were no tombs, or no graves, in Egypt, and so thou hast taken us away, so that now we can die here in this wilderness? why hast thou done this, and led us out of Egypt?)
12 Whether this is not the word that we spake to thee in Egypt (Was this not what we said to thee in Egypt), saying, Go away from us, (so) that we (can) serve the Egyptians? for it is much better to serve them, than to die in (the) wilderness.
13 And Moses said to the people, Do not ye dread, stand ye, and see the great works of God, which he shall do today; for ye shall no more see the Egyptians, which ye see now, till into without end; (And Moses said to the people, Do not ye fear, stand ye, and see the great works of God, which he shall do today; for the Egyptians, whom ye now see, soon ye shall never see them again;)
14 the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall be still. (the Lord shall fight for you, but ye must keep still/but ye must be silent).
15 And the Lord said to Moses, What criest thou to me? Speak thou to the sons of Israel, that they go forth; (And the Lord said to Moses, Why criest thou to me? Speak thou to the Israelites, so that they go forth;)
16 forsooth raise thou thy rod, and stretch forth thine hand on the sea, and part thou it, that the sons of Israel go in the midst of the sea, by dry place. (now raise thou up thy staff, and stretch forth thy hand over the sea, and part thou it, so that the Israelites can go through the midst of the sea, on dry land.)
17 Forsooth I shall make hard the heart(s) of [the] Egyptians, that they pursue you, and I shall be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all the host of him, and in the chariots of him, and in the knights of him; (But I shall harden the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they pursue you, and I shall be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all his army, and in his chariots, and in his soldiers;)
18 and [the] Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord God, when I shall be glorified in Pharaoh, and in the chariots, and in the knights of him (and in his soldiers).
19 And the angel of the Lord, that went before the castles, or tents, of Israel, took himself, and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went together with him, and left the former things after the back, (And the angel of the Lord, who went before the tents, or the army, of Israel, took himself, and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went with him, yea, it also went from in front of them, to behind their backs,)
20 and stood betwixt the castles of Egyptians and the castles of Israel; and the cloud was dark toward the Egyptians, and it was lightening the night toward Israel, so that in all the time of the night, they might not [come] nigh together to themselves. (and they stood between the tents, or the army, of the Egyptians and the tents, or the army, of Israel; and the cloud was dark toward the Egyptians, but it was lighting the night toward the Israelites, so that they could not come close to each other in all that night.)
21 And when Moses had stretched forth his hand on the sea, the Lord took away the sea, the while a great wind and a burning (one) blew in all the night, and turned the sea into dryness; and the water was parted. (And when Moses had stretched forth his hand over the Red Sea, the Lord took away the sea, by a great burning wind that blew all that night, and turned the sea into dry land; and so the waters were parted.)
22 And the sons of Israel entered by the midst of the dry sea; for the water was as a wall at the right side, and the left side of them. (And the Israelites entered into the midst of the sea on dry land; for the water was like a wall on their right side, and on their left side.)
23 And the Egyptians pursued, and entered after them, all the riding of Pharaoh, his chariots, and [his] knights, by the midst of the sea. (And the Egyptians pursued them, and entered into the midst of the sea after them, yea, all the horses of Pharaoh, and his chariots, and his soldiers.)
24 And the watch of the morrowtide came then, and lo! the Lord beheld on the castles of the Egyptians, by a pillar of fire, and of cloud, and killed the host of them; (And the morning watch came then, and lo! the Lord looked down through the pillars of fire, and of cloud, on the army of the Egyptians, and he panicked all the soldiers;)
25 and he destroyed the wheels of [the] chariots, and those were borne into the depth (and he clogged up the wheels of the chariots, and they turned with great difficulty). Therefore the Egyptians said, Flee we (from) Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against us.
26 And the Lord said to Moses, Hold forth thine hand on the sea, that the waters turn again to [the] Egyptians, on the chariots, and on the knights of them. (And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand over the sea, so that the waters return onto the Egyptians, yea, onto their chariots, and onto their soldiers.)
27 And when Moses had held forth his hand against the sea, it turned again first in the morrowtide to the former place (And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and early in the morning it returned to its former place); and when the Egyptians fled, the waters came (up) against them, and the Lord wrapped them (up) in the midst of the flood.
28 And the waters turned again, and covered the chariots, and [the] knights of all the host of Pharaoh, which followed, and entered into the sea; soothly not one of them was (left) alive. (And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and all the soldiers of Pharaoh’s army, who had followed the Israelites, and had entered into the sea after them; truly not one of them was left alive.)
29 Forsooth the sons of Israel went through the midst of the dry sea, and the waters were to them as for a wall, on the right side, and on the left side. (But the Israelites went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and for them the waters were like a wall, on their right side, and on their left side.)
30 And in that day the Lord delivered Israel from the hand of [the] Egyptians, and they saw the Egyptians dead on the brink of the sea, (And on that day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and they saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore,)
31 and they saw the great hand, or power/or might, which the Lord had used against the Egyptians; and the people dreaded the Lord, and they believed to the Lord, and to Moses his servant (and they saw the great power, or the great might, which the Lord had used against the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord, and in his servant Moses.)
Exodus 14
English Standard Version
Crossing the Red Sea
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to (A)turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between (B)Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And (C)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will (D)get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, (E)and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the (F)mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took (G)six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And (H)the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while (I)the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The (J)Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them (K)encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel (L)cried out to the Lord. 11 They (M)said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what (N)we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, (O)“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For (P)the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 (Q)The Lord will fight for you, and you have only (R)to be silent.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 (S)Lift up your staff, and (T)stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And (U)I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and (V)I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians (W)shall know that I am the Lord, (X)when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 (Y)Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night[a] without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses (Z)stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by (AA)a strong east wind all night and (AB)made the sea dry land, and the waters were (AC)divided. 22 And (AD)the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being (AE)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[b] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the (AF)Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, (AG)“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 (AH)So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea (AI)returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord (AJ)threw[c] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The (AK)waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, (AL)not one of them remained. 29 But the (AM)people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord (AN)saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 (AO)Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they (AP)believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:20 Septuagint and the night passed
- Exodus 14:25 Or binding (compare Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac); Hebrew removing
- Exodus 14:27 Hebrew shook off
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

